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Saturday, November 12, 2011

I couldn't have said it better.

I knew that if we were going to make it to bedtime that day, we needed to get out of the house. Our home felt small and congested with conflict. We escaped into a gorgeous October evening. "Yes, of course we can open the windows," I said, suddenly cheerful. The air was warm, and the smells of autumn flew around us. Fields of dried corn waited quietly for the harvest. The sky was heavy with the rich colors of evening.

We drove down the road, eyes wide, as if entering another world. The strong, warm wind scattered leaves into the sky, and the wind seemed to be carrying us along with it. I took a deep and grateful breath.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed another one sharing my joy. In the seat behind me sat the baby. For this moment, he had forgotten to complain about the straps of his car seat. His eyes were closed, and his hands were in the air. His palms faced forward, and his fingers were wide apart, as if he were trying to reach far enough so he could embrace the beauty of Autumn.

You could almost see his heart expanding as he received the gift given him in that moment. God knows how to give good gifts, and little babies know how to receive. With open hands and arms, baby Peter took in the joy of that moment. It overflowed into a smile and then a sighing, sweet, wordless baby song.

How is it that a baby --who can speak no words-- can so perfectly express the feelings of my own heart?